Sasori's Past to Future
by Kyoto's Flower
Summary: In Sasori's past he knew a girl named Aya, on the night of his birthday he and his whole family mysteriously disappears. Many years later, Aya meets a man who wears a cloak that calls for her, who is this man and why is he so familiar to her?
1. Enter Ito No Aya!

My name is Shimoto Aya, sometimes referred to as Ito no Aya, Aya of the Threads. I have a sibling, Shimoto Ryuu, a sweet older brother and one I looked up to. He was always messing with me, but usually nicer than anything to me especially.

But I couldn't stand his best friend, Akasuna No Sasori. The puppeteer knew how to wear on my last nerve and then scrap and whittle it down to nothing at all. Mainly, our rivalry stood in place of our similar yet different ability that involved chakra, he uses chakra threads to control his puppets, whereas I could contort things into strands of various threads. As such, I could control the threads to do my whim, and they'd obey without another word.

And on with the story…

"I can't stand you're existence," I scowl extremely unhappily, glaring at the boy in front of me.

He just stares, not really caring. "If you hate me so, then leave."

"I have to train with my brother. You're the one intruding," I hiss back just as ruefully.

"Aya, settle down, I invited him so we could work with his puppets later," Ryuu calms me down.

"Couldn't you have told him to come around later," I roll my eyes. "I don't need his presence distracting me."

"You sure have a mouth for a seven year old," my brother snickers. "But I love you anyways!"

"You only have two years on me," I point out smartly, "and so does your annoying friend."

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut Aya," he smiles softly. "We might have some problems... again."

"Good for us," I hiss venomously. "Why do you have to be so annoying? Gyah!"

He stares me down. "Overreacting to such a small feud is childish."

"Shut up, Puppet Boy," gathering my weapons and things of the such, I head towards the opening of the private training grounds of the large expanse of land known as the Shimoto Estate. Yeah, my family was rich, but mainly because of what magnificent skills our ability brought us. We all could bend things to build thread, but worked better with thread already made, or made by ourselves. Silk, though the hardest type of thread to make do as you wish, was one of my favorites and most willing pieces.

My feet bring me straight into my room, a simple place with thick, beautiful bed with some of the finest silks hanging around like an Arabic Harem. There was even a corner filled with the most delicate and pricey of pillows so one could relax on it. On the bedside table on each side was a lamp, shaded with a creamy shade. My dresser held a few things a seamstress and kunoichi such as myself would need for medicine and sewing purposes.

But what was the most striking thing about my room wasn't the spectacular decorating, but instead it was the numerous cloths lying around, the finished ones packed away in my dresser while many unfinished ones were littered all around. And I mean even hanging from the canopy of the delicate silk bedding. I had designed and made every bit of fabric hanging around my room, sewed and hemmed, loomed and weaved, every little last bit in here. Even my own clothing, I had designed them and made them to my liking.

I yawn, dumping my weapons onto a chair, taking my senbon out of the necessary holsters around me. I plop unceremoniously onto my large bed, sprawling extremely unladylike across the comfortable fabrics. One could will them to sleep on this; I swear it wouldn't take but a minute to do so.

"Now which should I work on to calm my nerves?" I meant the unfinished cloths around my room, all begging to be worked with.

One particular piece called to me, a lovely black fixture with red threads used on the fabric, made entirely of thick velvet with dark, scarlet silk lining

"Do you want me to work with you, beautiful," I smile warmly, getting up only to run a hand across the cloth. "Would you like me to make you into something useful, or something elegant, possibly something strong, durable, though delicate and useable; well, what would you like my love?"

The threads pulsate underneath my small fingernails, as if laughing gleefully at my touch. I laugh with the soft fabrics exciting and loosening its bindings against itself, so to be easier to contort and work with.

"If only you were as nice to me as you were to this," a pale hand gently picks up the fabrics.

I stiffen, why hadn't I sensed this person entering my room? Only now did I realize my threads were calling to me, warning me of an intruder and scolding me for being so withdrawn into my one cloth to recognize them.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, traversing about the room and laying a gentle hand on each and every last roll of fabric. "I should have listened to you." When I'm done, I turn to see Sasori was running his fingers across the large expanse of velvet and silk, eyeing it admirably.

The silk in the mixture begged to be away from strange, rough hands; no matter how gentle they were with the cloth, whereas the velvet enjoyed the touch, the tough feeling of callused fingers running over its surface

"What are you doing in my room Sasori?" I hiss unhappily. "And if you don't mind, that silk doesn't like you handling it so roughly. Hand it over before it starts hating me for letting you handle it." He narrows his eyes softly, handing it over slowly. I carefully run my hands over the soft silk, calming it, and then set it on the bed. "Get out of my room Sasori," I plainly mumble, not looking at him.

"I was passing through, and your brother said any room is welcomed for me," he replies, just as simply.

I roll my eyes, turning to face him. "He meant everywhere but my room!"

He smiles just a small one, turning to leave. "You're a skillful artist, Aya. You've made many pieces; no you've made every piece of fabric in this room from scratch haven't you?"

"Yes, I have," I nod. "My family teaches weaving when we're young, we learn to sew and such before we learn to talk even. It's just our way. The fabrics in here are everything I've done since I started. You know my story, now out!"

He lets out a snort; his back turned as he stifles out the door. Instantly, it felt as if all the air in the room was calmer, like the threads had taken a deep breath and released it.

Moments later, Ryuu bounces in, as hyper as ever. "Hey little sister," he yawns, jumping onto the bed, "I need some help with my sewing."

"Brother, you know you have to learn on your own," I laugh gleefully, the moods of threads around now happy at the arrival of their sister's family, their own brother.

"I know, and I know you're not supposed to help me," he holds up a yard of fabric, fashioned into some loose kind of net, "but this net here is giving me grief. I've made it as best I could, but I can't figure out what's wrong with it. It's mad at me about something."

I run my fingers over it, cringing painfully. "Wow, you sure did upset it Brother!"

"I know!" he whines pathetically. "Now every time I try to fix it, it 'bites' me."

"It doesn't 'bite' you," I use the same finger quotations as he did, "it's just upset at you. Look, this is why; you used cotton and silk together! Haven't you remember what Mother said? Silk and cotton don't like one another; they can get along only for short amounts of time, though it is possible for them to grow on one another. It's just very unlikely. Plus, silk is not a good thread to use to make fishnets."

"I know, but it wasn't for just any old net, it was for the fishnet lining of a new shirt, so I need it strong yet nice looking. It's for a special occasion."

"Oh really" I eye him. "I can help I guess. You were trying to make it gold?"

"Yeah," he nods.

"You hate gold."

He grins cheekily. "You know me to well, Sister. It's for you."

"Oh really, and what special occasion am I going to?" I narrow my eyes. He was up to something.

"Uh," he laughs nervously, "first help me fix the cloth."

With a heaping sigh, I smile. "Fine, you need to choose either silk or cotton. Mortal enemies shouldn't have to clash and twine so."

"Alright, from the beginning then," he jumps up, snatching the netting away carefully. "Oh, and the special occasion," he gets halfway out the door, turning to face me with that large grin of his, "is Sasori's ninth birthday party in three days." With that said, he runs as fast as his long legs will carry him.


	2. Sasori's Birthday

_Recap: "Alright, from the beginning then," he jumps up, snatching the netting away carefully. "Oh, and the special occasion," he gets halfway out the door, turning to face me with that large grin of his, "is Sasori's ninth birthday party in three days." With that said, he runs as fast as his long legs will carry him._

"RYUU" I shriek, falling over onto my bed. '_He did not really expect me to go to that BRAT'S BIRTHDAY?! That would be like asking me to... well I don't know what!'_

I walk over to my cloth, trying to decide what I'd do with the ebony beauty. The threads, as if speaking to me, whisper what seems to be one word.

_Cloak,_ It whispers sweetly.

"So you want to be made into a cloak huh? How about I turn you into a cloak for Sasori since I need to have the annoying prick a present?" I sigh. "Though I know how much you detest him, silk." I could feel the velvet wriggling, agreeing to the situation. Silk, being a close friend of velvet, soon enough agrees, eagerly wriggling beneath my fingers. I laugh happily, grabbing a needle and thread, along with my sheers, time to get to work on my enemy's birthday present.

"Wow Ryuu, it's beautiful!" I gasp, running my hands over the new outfit he had made me.

"Go put it on!" he urges happily, grinning. He knew I already liked it.

I quickly try it on. When I waltz back out, I smile gleefully, twirling. Now he knew I adored it, just by how I glowed. The outfit was a light blue dress, coming between my thigh and knee, the arms and low neckline covered with golden fishnets that sparkled. The dress itself, looked like a Lolita outfit, the short skirt puffed out beautifully with black ruffles under it, along with at the shoulder part of the sleeves and the waist. It was astounding, to say the least.

"Thank you so much Ryuu, but is it really necessary to wear it to Sasori's birthday?" I whine pathetically. "I can't stand him!"

"Yes, you have to," he orders. "Or that dress, I'll unravel it and fashion myself a shinobi catching net."

"Okay, geez! I'll go! Besides, I don't think I'd ever wear the cloak I made the past few days. It seems perfect for Sasori's dark tastes," I scoff. "Annoying brat!"

"You know, he tries to get along with you most of the time."

"I know but it'd be hard trying to be nice back," I smile. "He's a puppeteer and I'm a seamstress. He uses threads of chakra to control other things, focusing mainly on the thing being controlled, whereas I control things with threads but pay more attention the delicate threads."

"I know little sister; you dislike his lack of recognition for his chakra threads. Now come on, let's get going before Sasori thinks I'm not showing up," he laughs quietly, slipping a black shirt over his head to match his dark slacks.

"Ugh, here goes a good day of my life wasted."

"Be nice," he hisses, grabbing my arm. "Let's go."

'_So bored, Must leave. Want. To Leave,'_ my mind rants in the wake of its boredom, finding nothing whatsoever to do. Sasori only had my brother and his family plus me over. And his family had crooned over me just as much as he, thinking I was his little girlfriend or something had. I would never be Akasuna no Sasori's girlfriend! _'The day I'm his girlfriend is the day I allow my brother to die,'_ I smile sadly, watching my brother do some stupid trick by standing on his hands and walking around, the adults gasping and clapping. _'Or the day he actually learns how to be serious 24/7and that's never going to happen.' _

I get up, walking outside into the hot desert air, a cool breeze blowing lightly across me. It felt good, better than any other day actually. Though I'd rather be spending my day outside at the estate than I would here of all places, of all birthdays!

Gently, my small bottom plops onto a bench under a tree, facing the house. I aimlessly pick at the loose thread annoying me on the end of my dress. I'd have to secretly fix that when I got home, I didn't believe in plucking threads away from clothing. It hurt them.

"Escaping?" Sasori quietly asks, sitting beside me, in the shade of the tree.

I nod. "Your relatives are annoying."

"And you're telling me," he gives me an incredulous look. I roll my eyes, something I usually did around the annoying puppet master.

"They think I'm your girlfriend," I huff. "How degrading"

"Hn," he nods, leaning back. "Nice dress, it looks cute on you."

"Even if that was sarcasm, thank you," I ruffle it out. "My brother put what little hard work and dedication he had into it so I take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't meant as sarcasm," he stands just as his parents come outside. I glare at his back, wondering what he meant by that statement.

"Come on inside children," his mother, a beautiful lady, smiles warmly. "It's time to open presents Saso."

He stiffly walks inside, his dad following while his mom waits for me. As soon as we step foot in the house, Ryuu grabs me and drags me to the living room where Sasori was already opening his presents. Not really caring, I flop unceremoniously down onto a chair as far away from the redhead as my brother would allow me, which wasn't far enough in my book.

"And this one's from Ryuu," his dad passes off a small wrapped package.

Sasori opens to reveal a medallion with a kanji symbol written on it. Sasori gives a nod to my brother, the other grinning happily at his nice trinket he'd finally given away.

_'That better not have been the medallion I gave Ryuu last year for his birthday,'_ I take as close a look as I can, noticing the difference. _'Okay, it's different. Good.'_

"Here's Aya's gift," nimbly, his aunt hands over my gift to the boy.

Sasori, glancing briefly at me, easily rips away the wrapping. He opens the box lid, revealing a lovely black cloak, made completely of velvet with scarlet silk lining. The fixture I had made as the threads wished to be. A lazy, ghostly looking smile flutters across his face. Just by that, I knew he liked the beautiful thing, his hands running over it as he had the other day.

"I thought it didn't like me," he whispers.

I nod. "The silk doesn't, the velvet does. Be nice to it, and it'll serve for a long time."

"Ah! How sweet" the majority of the family chorus

I make a gagging noise unbeknownst to them, noticing Sasori looked a bit annoyed at his party-gores and their obsession of us.

"You just had to give a better present than mine! I felt like a cheapskate!" Ryuu whines, walking backwards.

The party had ended, finally, and we had just come from the store to get a few things to put in our secret sugar stash, the one our parents didn't know about when they took away our sugar or grounded us from desert. I had a lollipop in my mouth, strawberry and crème, whereas my brother had a sour apple. I hated sour stuff!

"I almost thought you gave him the medallion I gave you," I laugh, kicking him in the shin so he falls on his bum. He scowls evilly.

"If it wasn't for the fact that dress looks cute on you, I'd push you back," he looks at his butt, gently wiping the dirt away. "Great! You got dirt on my britches!"

"Don't say 'britches'," I scold him with a laugh, "it makes you sound weird. Plus Mom will say you sound like a street urchin."

"Britches, britches, BRITCHES!" he screams to the sky, laughing loudly and obnoxiously. I join in, giggling madly. "Hey Sis, did you notice something different about Sasori? He seemed... off."

"No, I didn't," I shake my head. "I don't know him that well, thankfully."

"Something wasn't right," he shakes it off, placing an arm around my shoulders as we walk. "Why can't you two get along? Better yet, you need to get along with him. He tries, though he only puts forth a little effort. At least he's decent to you a lot."

"So?" I pout, crossing my arms and shrugging his arm off. "I don't care."

"Man, what a child!" he jokes.

"I'm seven, stupid!" I push him playfully. He growls.

"Just because I won't push you down doesn't mean I won't," he ambles closer menacingly, fingers twitching, "tickle you!"

"No!" I squeal, running as fast as I can in a dress, heading home.

He roars, running after me swiftly. We dart against buildings, using our ninja ways to get going. I knew one thing; I wouldn't let him catch me! Little did we know, Sasori wasn't having fun and joking around with his parents, or was he?


	3. Sasori's Birthday Continued

_Recap: He roars, running after me swiftly. We dart against buildings, using our ninja ways to get going. I knew one thing; I wouldn't let him catch me! Little did we know, Sasori wasn't having fun and joking around with his parents, or was he?_

"Brother," I shake him eagerly, whispering loudly in his ear, "Wake up!"

"No more egg salad!" he sniffles. "Please!"

I sweat drop, not in the mood for his silly dreaming. "Brother, get up! Ugh! Oh, I know!" I snap my fingers with a smile. "Wake up you maggot! Two hundred laps around Konoha! Now or no lunch"

"Sir, yes sir!" he shoots up, standing to his feet, saluting, and a tangle of blankets wrapped around his midsection. "Aya? What was that for?!" he shrieks, falling over as the blankets trip him. "Okay, stop clinging to me!" he whispers harshly to the threads. They loosen and free him.

"Something's not right," I shudder. "I had a dream. It had velvet and silk, they were calling to me. I think it was the cloak I gave to Sasori."

"Huh? Hold on," his fingers lace with mine, eyes closing. Immediately, they shoot open, nodding. "I felt their call too. Let's go," he throws on a pair of pants and a shirt.

Ryuu grabs my hand, pulling me out the door while snatching a light jacket off the rack for the both of us so we would be shielded from the hot winds of the night found in Sunagakure. I struggle to put it on, running swiftly and silently so we don't attract the ANBU that patrol around the village at night.

The puppeteer's abode comes into view, dark like every other house. We slip over the stone fence, sliding open the wooden door and moving in. The darkness engulfs us, my brother pulling out a kerchief he kept in his pocket and focusing his chakra into it. I lay my hand on his, pushing mine into the little patch of flax. The cloth lights a silver blue, the color of our chakras combined. He leads me through the dead quiet house, my nightgown ruffling and my brothers clothing moving the only noise, that and our footsteps.

We slip into Sasori's room, seeing the bed neatly made and everything untouched. Everything besides his puppeteer kit, the thing he used to make his puppets.

"He's not here," Ryuu states the obvious, grabbing my hand and leading me into every room. Each and every last one was devoid of human life, the only few things being some of the extra puppets, which thoroughly freaked me out. "No one's here."

"I told you they called me," I shudder again, scurrying out of the room filled with puppets. "They wanted me to see them again; they were protecting a warm something from the cold night air."

"He left, so did his parents. They must have gone somewhere to celebrate Saso's b-day," he shrugs. "That has to be it. Let's go home, I'm tired."

"Okay," I sigh unhappily. "I hope the threads are okay. Let's get out of here; this place is scary with all those lifeless puppet eyes around!"

"Yeah I agree with that!" he takes off with me, pocketing the dimming kerchief.

We were home faster than we had gotten there; ready to be away from the deadly silent home filled to the brim with glass eyes, staring at you as you walked past them.

"Err, you can sleep in my room with me tonight," Ryuu pulls me in, towards his bed. "Eh heh"

"Thanks," I laugh nervously with him, knowing he was not only feeling his fear of the puppets still in the back of his mind, but also the feeling of longing from the threads I had given to Sasori. We huddle together in his bed, acting just as decent siblings do when they're smaller. I loved my brother just as much as he loved me.

But one thing troubled me. Where had Sasori, no the cloak gone?

**Sorry that it's so short, longer one next time!**


	4. 20 Years and Sick

_Recap: "Err, you can sleep in my room with me tonight," Ryuu pulls me in, towards his bed. "Eh heh"_

_"Thanks," I laugh nervously with him, knowing he was not only feeling his fear of the puppets still in the back of his mind, but also the feeling of longing from the threads I had given to Sasori. We huddle together in his bed, acting just as decent siblings do when they're smaller. I loved my brother just as much as he loved me._

_But one thing troubled me. Where had Sasori, no the cloak gone?_

A woman with long, waist length light blue hair harshly orders, trying to stop the bleeding of the kunoichi on the medic's table, both wearing doctors' masks over their mouths and noses. "A yard of bandaging, stat, that means now not later damn it!"

"That's not enough to stop the bleeding's thou-"

"NOW!" The nurse beside her hands her a roll of white bandages

"I said a yard! Not foot! Get it right! Hurry it up!"

The woman apologizes pathetically, handing her a thicker roll. The woman from before wraps the girl quickly and tightly, and then makes a swift number of hand signs, slamming her palms down onto the kunoichi's stomach, soaking her hands in blood. The bandages pulsate, glowing silver, sliding over each and every major wound, sewing it back up with an invisible needle. The Medical Ninja grins, the blood flow had stopped. She walks out of the room, removing her mask and trashing it and the latex gloves. Pale blue eyes peer out beneath long, elegant lashes.

"Well that was a job well done," I smile, pulling my hair down to let it flow about my waist, two braids in it on the underneath of my ears, gold links holding the braids together. "But next time, be more competent! I can't have someone fumbling around when someone's life is at stake! Another minute of bleeding like that and we wouldn't have to worry about her! You dunce."

"I-I'm sorry, Aya-sama," she bows repeatedly. I walk off, not paying attention. "I'll work harder next time."

"Work better! You working 'harder' would be the death of every patient with whom you tend," I hiss, turning a corner and hanging up my stuff in my office. I snatch up my bag, leaving towards the outer doors of the hospital.

"Done for the day, Aya-sama?" a medic-in-training asks with a grin.

"Yes, I am, Hiro," I nod. "Be a darling and sign me out?"

"Sure thing!" he eagerly goes to do so, a laugh coming out of my pale pink lips.

As soon as I walk out of the hospital, my feet take the normal path to the Ichiraku Ramen Stand. Like always, Squad Seven's training ended just as I got off work. Ryuu always met his best bud, Hatake Kakashi, there everyday he didn't have a mission.

Did I fail to mention we had moved to Konoha about fifteen years earlier? Oops.

"Hello everyone" I cheerfully flop between Ryuu and Sakura.

"Hi Aya-sensei" Naruto gobbles his ramen down, speaking at the same time as Sakura.

"Hey," Sasuke gives a curt nod, nothing more.

"Anything good happen today Sis?" Ryuu inhales his food just like Naruto was doing.

I snort. "Some incompetent new nurse nearly killed off one of the Chuunin kunoichi."

"And you set her straight?" Kakashi questions

I smirk "she'll never work with me again, I can promise you that much."

"Evil," Ryuu laughs, now full just as I finish off a bowl. "Let's get headed home. I swear the days keep getting shorter."

"I'd agree to that," I nod. "Later kids, see you Kakashi."

"Don't be strangers in my house, Aya," he smiles well at least I knew he did by his eye.

"I won't," I roll my eyes. "Pakkun probably misses me."

"He does."

Ryuu and I start walking towards our home, the one where only the two of us lived. Our parents had died seven years ago; they were raided by Jounin of Kumogakure while trying to sell their products there.

Twenty years had gone by fast, I was twenty-six, almost twenty-seven and my brother twenty-nine. It had been an interesting two decades, he was a high ranked Jounin along with Gai and Kakashi, but I had become a powerful Medical Ninja, just as I wished. I had met Tsunade-hime, my dream, and been complimented and even trained a bit by her. I was said to be the second strongest medic to ever work in Konoha, my works respected in every nation, especially my home nation of Sunagakure.

Sasori, frankly I hadn't really missed him. I admit, I did when I felt like throwing insults at someone, I hadn't found a worthy person to despise since he'd left. Ryuu had been down the year Sasori had left, but soon made friends with someone three years his younger, Kakashi, when we moved to Konoha. They were a strong team, and both completely perverted friends. Ryuu, well he had grown, A LOT! He was a handsome man now, one that rivaled even the mysterious ways of Hatake.

"Twenty years," my brother randomly says, walking through the gates of our beautiful estate.

"Twenty years?" I quirk an eyebrow "Oh, since Puppet Boy left, it was twenty last month, love."

"I know," he shakes his head. "I do miss him though. I mean, I don't even know if he's dead or not."

"No telling," I shrug, "so doesn't think about it. It only troubles the brain."

"I know you're right, as always," he scowls. "You should have been a kunoichi instead of a Medical Nin."

"I wanted to be a medic, and I am, so I'm okay," I smile sweetly at him. "Besides, they still let me help out on some missions with the ANBU Black Ops."

"Mainly because you're good at fixing up nasty wounds" he snorts "and britches"

I whack him over the head. "Ugh! Street urchin"

"That I am, dearest, that I am!" he kisses my cheek, skipping into his room.

I roll my eyes at my brother. "Get to sleep, you have a mission tomorrow. I'll make a big breakfast in the morning."

"Just because you're making me a big breakfast, I will," he yawns loudly. "Night babe"

"Night sweets" I laugh quietly, randomly thinking of how funny it was that our family had a reputation of using pet names for everyone like 'babe', 'sugar', 'sweets', 'darling', 'love', or others.

I eat a quick apple, and then take a nice, relaxing bubble bath. In my room, I change into a pair of pajama pants and a low-cut tank top that came barely to the top of my pants. That means it showed about a centimeter of skin if I kept my arms flat beside me. Not likely... Crawling under my blankets, I slowly drift off to sleep.

_"He misses you." Darkness weaves a mask over my eyes, only allowing me to hear the gentle calls whispering all around me. _

_"He misses you." _

_'Who, Who misses me?' I subconsciously murmur. _

_"Hate is such a strong word. He misses you." _

_'Who, who misses me?! Tell me!' I was screaming in my mind, clawing at my eyes, trying to rub away the veil to see who was talking to me. I recognized the pulsating whispers of whomever or whatever it was. _

_"Wake up. Your brother is in trouble. Wake up. He's going to die." _

_"Wake up," the voice continues to chant before something throws me high into the air, plunging me out of my mind. _

"WHO" I shriek, sitting up in my bed, sweating a cold one, my body was shaking; freezing no matter the air was hot in my room. "Ryuu, something's wrong." I could feel it to my very bones; something wasn't right in this house. I run, faster than I've ever run in my life, and into the order's room.

He was in bed, like before, but something was different. He was pale, his dark blue hair didn't hold that familiar sheen right at the moment, and it was dull, eerily brittle looking. His lips were turning blue, the same color as his hair, and his breaths were short and ragged.

"Ryuu"

I grab him, throwing him on my back and darting away, using ninja speeds. Before I knew it, I was in the ever-alive hospital, panting harshly.

"Aya-sama?" some of more senior medics ask, eyes wide. They scurry over, grabbing Ryuu. "Stretcher, we need a stretcher!"

"Have a room set up in a hurry! Find an open private room!" I call as well, still sweating profusely. We rush into a new room, checking my brother along with the other doctors. I couldn't understand what was wrong with him. This illness was something new.

"I know what it is," a medic visiting from Iwagakure mumbles. "It's the same outbreak they had in my village. He needs to be quarantined immediately, and no person that came in contact with him since yesterday will need to be as well. Including whomever they came in contact with. This is extremely deadly, more die than live."

"Oh how reassuring," I scoff unhappily, getting serious to hide my emotions. "What do I do? Do we have the necessary medicines?!"

"No, you don't I'm sorry," he looked genuinely sorry, so I nod. "I know how to make a vaccine capable of preventing it from happening to give to all contacts he was near, but he doesn't have the necessary medicines to stop it from taking over him. They barely discovered a plausible cure in Iwagakure."

"So you're saying they have one there though," my eyes widen. "How long is the trip to Iwagakure?"

"About four days," the guy shakes his head. "He'll be dead before you get back."

My throat tightens painfully. I turn to one of the useless medics. "Get me Hatake Kakashi! NOW"

"Yes, Aya-sama!" the man runs off swiftly.

"Is there anything you can do to prolong it? Anything at all" I plead. "Please! Tell me there's something!"

"The disease, nameless still, attacks the immune system, the blood, the heart rate, and circulation of breathing."

"It's not hopeless," I narrow my eyes, knowing such things easily. My threads couldn't help thanks to the heart thing and the breathing.

"You're a medic, I can tell by how these people regard you as Aya-sama," he stares me down, "so you know there is a way to keep him alive. You," he points to two medics near me, "I want a tube running into each lung and a blood packet attached to him! And you, I want an IV hooked up immediately, along with a heart monitor. What blood type is he?"

"He's O, positive," I answer. "You, be careful with that tube! He can still feel whatever you do to him!" I turn back to the man. "How long can you keep him alive?"

"A month, if even that long, but that's it," he shakes his head.

Kakashi walks in. "I heard Ryuu was in here."

"I'm going to go to Iwagakure to get a cure," I stiffly tell him. "Kakashi, will you make sure my brother is treated respectably? I know you will, so don't bother answering. I'm going to the Hokage right now."

"Be back before the end of a full month, when the moon is a waning crescent again," the medic instructs. "Go, now! Every minute here is a wasted one for him!" The guy quickly gives me a shot, that way I won't get the illness.

"Yes," I push open the window, using it to run through the night. "Hokage... to the Hokage"

I arrive in his office immediately. He was up, it was early in the morning hours and he was obligated to be alive by now. I find him sipping coffee, eyes fully brightened and alive. Oh how I wish Ryuu's were like this right now.

"Hokage-sama," I wheeze, breathless, "I... I need... passes... passes to... Iwagakure, Ryuu, he's sick! The only cure is there!"

"Calm yourself Aya," he puffs out a bout of smoke. "Give me details."

I describe to him the situation quickly, not skipping any details. He nods, pulling out a passport for me and a squad of ANBU to come along with me. I thank him, running towards the door.

"You have two hours to be at the gates. The ANBU will be waiting for you," he orders.

"Thank you, Sarutobi-sama!" I formally call him by his first name, earning a smile from him.

I go home, showering swiftly and changing into a purple dress with slits up to my waist on each side, wearing black skintight shorts under the dress and slip on black shoes, heelless. I put skintight purple arm warmers with metal on the back of each hand on, and put my earrings in. I slide a large cloak over me, the two colors of the majestic piece being green and purple, the hood part green, and a gold brooch holding it together in the front. I was ready to go.


	5. To Iwagakure with Criminal Excorts

_Recap: "You have two hours to be at the gates. The ANBU will be waiting for you," he orders._

_"Thank you, Sarutobi-sama!" I formally call him by his first name, earning a smile from him._

_I go home, showering swiftly and changing into a purple dress with slits up to my waist on each side, wearing black skintight shorts under the dress and slip on black shoes, heelless. I put skintight purple arm warmers with metal on the back of each hand on, and put my earrings in. I slide a large cloak over me, the two colors of the majestic piece being green and purple, the hood part green, and a gold brooch holding it together in the front. I was ready to go._

"We should be there tomorrow," ANBU Captain, Hitomi, tell me sternly. I was traveling alone with three respectably strong men, Hitomi, Haru, and Yomi.

"Excellent, we'll be getting there a day early," I smirk. "Good thing I'm traveling with people like me, people who don't like waiting or stalling when someone is about to die."

"We're just great ninja," Haru jokes. He was a big jokester that's why it was so easy to travel with these people.

"Sure you are," I smile playfully. He gasps, Yomi shaking his head as he helps set up camp.

"How dare you use sarcasm with me, Aya!" he lightly hits my arm. I lightly hit his back. "Ouch! Damn that hurt!" He was being quiet at least, being smart so we don't get attacked. We start a campfire, sitting around it as Hitomi takes first watch. He was a strict leader, but allowed his ninja to relax before their watch at least.

"You know, you dressed the part well," Yomi points out. The Hokage had instructed me to dress richly, so I looked like nothing more than a royal or someone important being escorted by three Konoha ANBU instead of a powerful kunoichi of the threads. "Ito no Aya, the name itself sounds weak but the flaw is the strength behind it."

"You got that right honey!" I grin cheekily. "This Aya will go Ito on your ass!"

"That made no sense whatsoever," Haru hands me a fish, staked with a stick and burned to a delicious morsel. "Here you go your highness."

"Thank you, man-slave," I play along, taking the fish. "Ewe, it's too burnt! Make it again!"

"I'm so sorry, your royal bitchy-ness," he hands me his fish, a bite already taken out of it. "Enjoy my princess."

"Give me my damn fish back," I push him, just before he can get a bite out of my fish. I stuff his in his mouth. Yomi rolls his eyes.

"Children, calm down."

"We're not children," the two of us chime.

"Sh!" Hitomi shushes. "I think there's something coming."

A little bird flutters onto the ground about ten feet from me. Yomi heads over, prodding it. The bird explodes. Yomi screeches, his face a bloody, horrid mess. The skin was falling off, his eye a sickening and disgusting show of muted juices along with splintered remains of his ANBU mask. I nearly gag, choking on air.

"Princess, shield your eyes!" Hitomi orders, playing the part, I pull the cloak over my face. "Haru, get her to Iwagakure, immediately!"

"Yes sir!" he grabs my arm, making me run after him. I stumble at first, but then dart against the foliage with him, leaving Yomi's smoldering body behind while Hitomi trails us, trying to keep the attackers away.

"Damn it," I hiss, hearing another explosion and Hitomi's scream. "He's down."

"Two to go," Haru grits his teeth. "Over my dead body,"

"Gladly, yeah," someone says near us.

"Oh hell," I gulp.

"What a foul-mouthed princess! Awesome, yeah!" the person laughs just as Haru pushes me away and starts chunking shuriken in places, his ANBU mask hiding his sweating face.

"Princess, watch out," Haru yells. I look over, seeing a blonde boy come out of the brush, grinning happily to him, my hood shadowed my face. I hear another explosion. Haru screams. I gasp. One to go obviously

"You prick!" I screech, pulling many spools of thick black thread out of from beneath my cloak and my weapons pouch.

"Thread yeah? You must be loopy," the boy laughs. "By the way, your killers name is Deidara yeah!"

"Well Deidara-yeah," I mock with an evil grin, "you messed with the wrong girl!"

The black threads slither over my palms, one going out from each finger and straight at the explosion master. He dodges, the fabric attaching to a tree. "Missed yeah"

"Did I?" I smirk. The tree creaks, groaning loudly. I feed my chakra through the threads, pulling splinters of bark from the large oak. They were sharp, like daggers, and each of the ten thread strings now sported one on the ends. "Stupid blonde boy"

"You sure got some moves for a princess yeah!" he gulps. "Hey! You tricked me yeah!"

"Obviously," I roll my eyes, hood still covering me.

"Deidara, I said not to attack," a voice drones.

"Sorry but I couldn't help it," he grins cheekily. Before he could react, I had lashed my strings at him, nailing one in each of his limbs. "Uh oh"

"What an idiot!" I scoff. "You're from Akatsuki, yet you're completely scatterbrained. Now let's play dolls."

"What are you talking about yeah?"

I had feed my chakra into each of the threads, which abandoned the splinters in the boy's skin, slithering into different parts of his body. Each wrist, each ankle, his back, the back of his head, each hip, and each shoulder now had a black string glowing silver attached in it's flesh.

"I am a thread kunoichi," I tell him plainly, "and as such, I can control whatever I please with the help of my little friends. They're so happy to meet you at such a moment by the way." I begin moving my fingers, making him move as I wished.

_Mistress_

I recognize the familiar call, feeling familiar cloth nearby that I had spun. I look around wildly, trying to spot the partner that had come to aid Deidara, probably wearing something I had made for my parents to sell at market one day on them.

"Tell... me... your... name," Deidara growls as best he can.

I marvel at him. No one had ever been able to talk when controlled by my threads. "I am Ito no Aya, Aya of the Thread. I'll be your reaper now, for killing my escorts."

"You seem familiar," that voice drones from somewhere again.

I hiss, feeling Deidara's control coming back to him as he breaks free from my threads. "I'd expect no less from Akatsuki. I'll just have to get out of here won't I?"

I whisper soothing words to each of my threads, trusting it to keep control. It wriggles against my fingertips, agreeing silently. The ends attach to the spools again, now in my hands, still also attached to Deidara. I feed some chakra into the spools, then turn to run. I barely take two steps before a puppet stands in front of me, one that had a giant mask on its back, a scorpion tail produced from that mouth. I could see the threads of chakra, leading to someone who stood in the shadows.

"You made him... get out of his... puppet," Deidara laughs the best he can, now only held by five strings of chakra. "Impressive, yeah"

"Good for me, but I'm getting that medicine whether I have to hack off my own limbs to get it, or hack off yours," I glare wickedly, pulling two spools of brown and green out and throwing them high in the air, performing many hand signs. When I finish, I slam my palms upon the earth, avoiding the lashing I almost received from the tail.

The threads plummet into the ground, lacing without a needle in a cage fashion around the puppet while I take off running. It shouldn't take me but a few hours to get to Iwagakure from here.

_'And I will make it there and back with that medicine, for you Brother.' _

I wouldn't allow someone as meaningless as Akatsuki stop me, no matter they were the strongest force of darkness alive.

Drawing the circle of the gods on my chest, I push chakra into my feet, sensing the other two were hot on my trail. My fingers tightly hold onto my hood, making it stay on my head.

"Come on, I can do this," I growl to myself, nearly cursing myself for almost falling prey to doubt.

"No you can't, yeah," Deidara grabs my arms, locking me in what would seem to most like a bear hug from behind, when really it was a snatch so I wouldn't leave. I stop moving, closing my eyes and breathing.

_'Inhale to seven, hold for seven, exhale,'_ mentally, I do my counting. _'Unravel.'_

The cloak groans, not wanting to move from it's resting, but slowly starts to move, ready to constrict his legs and do my bidding.

I smirk outwardly, but soon get bopped over the head. My eyes shoot open, the threads stop moving now, and glaring at the person who had stopped me with that hit.

"How dare you!"

"I'm not an idiot," that voice was oddly familiar. "You made my puppet crack."

"I'm oh so sorry," I sarcastically hiss. "How about I buy you a new one?" A sneer crosses me.

"Won't work now yeah," he chuckles.

I roll my eyes. "Idiot, I meant that as sarcasm. Geez! Worse than Ryuu..." I cringe, thinking about him, before I start thrashing wildly. "Let me go! I have to get medicine for me brother!"

"Ryuu..." the familiar voice whispers to him "If we release you, will you not run?"

"I will run, and I'll make it worthwhile!" I kick Deidara hard in the groin, running and dodging the snatch the blonde made at me while still winded.

A hand hitches around my cloak, stopping me in my tracks. Chakra strings attach to my limbs, halting my movement. I sigh at the sheer stupidity.

"I am a thread kunoichi as I said earlier," the threads slowly wriggle from me, lavishing against any exposed skin that it could sensually, "as such, thread of any kind listens to me, adores me. Even silk"

_Mistress _

I hear the call again. I push the threads off me, turning around to face the two. Deidara gets up slowly, wincing painfully. The other had a hat over his head, with long paper handing off the sides so I couldn't see his face properly.

"Why do you want to catch me so badly?" I ground out, backing away slowly.

"A hostage from Konoha would be a great prize yeah," Deidara breathes.

I let my hands caress a spool each inside my cloak. "Well to bad. I'm from Sunagakure, as you should have noticed," I had used my hitai-ate from Suna for this mission as a safeguard just in case.

"Oh," the blonde's face falls. "We can let her go then yeah," I turn, beginning to walk away, "can't we Sasori-Danna? She's only from your village."

I stop in my tracks. "What did he just call you?"

"I called him Danna, yeah," Deidara answers.

"A puppeteer from Sunagakure named Sasori," I turn to face him, "and one who wears threads that call to me. There's no way."

He removes his hat, showing a full head of red hair and a lazy, tanned look. "Am I familiar to you?"

"I was hoping you were dead," I plainly state, clutching the spools tighter, "that way my brother could find a better friend than you."

"Ito no Aya," Sasori whispers

Deidara blinks. "You know her?"

"Unfortunately," I glare.

"I was talking to him yeah," he laughs. "She called you a girl yeah!"

"Goodbye Sasori, and treat that cloak better," I start running again, having the feeling he'd follow.

Before I can run another two steps, I hit something hard. Looking up, I see Sasori staring down at me.

"You're going nowhere."

"Listen to me, Ryuu's sick, and the illness is deadly. I have to get to Iwagakure and get the cure before the end of the month or he dies," I push him, trying to move out of the way to get around him.

He moves, allowing me to walk by, amazingly. "Deidara, come."

"Why do we have to go too yeah?" he whines.

I gasp. "Don't tell me you're going with me! No! I refuse!"

"To bad," he gives me one of his ghostly smiles.

I sigh. Oh how long this trip would be


	6. Deaths

_Recap: He moves, allowing me to walk by, amazingly. "Deidara, come."_

_"Why do we have to go too yeah?" he whines._

_I gasp. "Don't tell me you're going with me! No! I refuse!"_

_"To bad," he gives me one of his ghostly smiles._

_I sigh. Oh how long this trip would be_

"I'm being escorted by criminals," I grumble, extremely unhappily.

"You still haven't let your hood down yeah," Deidara reaches for it. I swat his hand away.

"I'll do that of my own accord," I murmur, showing my pass for Iwagakure. They let us through the gates, thankfully.

Deidara and Sasori had turned their cloaks inside out so they were instead wearing red. I guess it was a helpful tool, being able to turn them inside out. We head towards an inn, purchasing a room. That's all the Hokage aloud for me to have, enough for one room. We head towards the room we were booked in, the two discarding their cloaks. Sasori was gentle with his, I noticed out of the corner of my eye.

I slide the hood down, the two watching me intensely, earning a glare as soon as they're able to see it. My gaze softens slightly, but only for a second.

"Hot, yeah," Deidara grins, "are you single?"

I turn my back, hearing a grunt and a whining noise. When I turn back, my cloak neatly folded on the nearby end table, I see Sasori sitting on one of the twin beds with a blank look across his face. Deidara had a giant goose egg on the top of his head and anime tears.

"I still don't see why criminals had to follow me," I grunt unhappily. "Leaving now, see you two later."

I jump out of the window, darting towards the hospital. As soon as I stop at the doors, I see I had been followed, Sasori now standing next to me. I sigh, knowing I wasn't going to be left alone.

"Are you trying to make up for the time you haven't annoyed me?" I ground out, teeth clenched. "Good job so far."

I stomp into the hospital and up to the desk. "I am Shimoto Aya, originally of Sunagakure, top Medical Nin of Konohagakure besides the great Tsunade-hime. I have formal business here."

"Aya-sama, we've heard great things about you here!" the woman gasps in awe. "Quick, get Hatori! Tell him Aya-sama is here on business!" she orders a weaker medic.

The man hurries off, coming back with an extremely attractive doctor. I smile, batting my eyelashes as he walks in.

"Hatori, that's what they called you right?" I smile. He nods, giving a smile back. "I am-"

"I know who you are, Ito no Aya," he bows, kissing my hand, never taking his green-gray orbs from mine "An honor to meet you, what brings you to Iwagakure?"

"I need the antidote to a rising sickness that just came up," I state. "It's deadly and takes quick effect on others."

"What are the symptoms to this sickness?" he raises an eyebrow

"It attacks the immune system, the blood, the heart rate, and circulation of breathing," I tell him. He raises an eyebrow.

"There is no such illness here, I've never heard of it."

My face falls. "So is there another kind of illness anything like that?"

"No, there is not here, and it's neither nameless nor plausible. Who told you we had such a disease here?"

"He was tall, had dark hair and violet eyes, tall, pale skin, and had a star in the right corner of his eye," I narrow my eyes as his widen. "Why?"

"That's Kyo, he's a dangerous man and an expert on mixing poisons."

"WHAT, He injected me with something before I left! Ugh I'm a powerful doctor, yet I didn't realize the deception!" I use a bunch of hand signs, pulling a spool out of my weapons pouch.

The light blue thread unravels, darting down my throat. I close my eyes, resisting the urge to gag as the two watch in silent awe. I motion towards a bowl, and Sasori sets the spool, still attached to one end of the string, upright in it.

Blood a pale pink color drains into it, along with the light green substance the man had injected me, following the thread's path. Finally, the bowl now full, I was cleaned of both the tainted blood and the substance. The gathering of doctors and nurses that had stopped to watch were shocked, eyes wide. Soon enough, a loud roar of clapping begins, many 'ah's' involved. I scowl horribly.

Immediately, I was running, faster than I have ever in my life. I could sense Sasori right behind me. My body was a blur amongst the foliage, hair swishing wildly. I tie it up in a tight ponytail, eyes set hard.

_'You better hope your gone, medic, because I plan on killing you if you aren't. Right after I cure my brother of this poison,' _I was planning a horrible revenge.

"How could I be so stupid, I'm a doctor, a famous medic, and yet I couldn't distinguish a poison from an ailment when I saw it" I scold myself repeatedly, not even stopping at the gates.

Something jumps in front of me. I crash head on into the person, glaring evilly as I look up at the red head. He was staring at me plainly, dully, lifelessly...

"Move it Puppet Boy! I don't have time for your stupid nonsense!" I hiss, trying to move around him, but the silk on the underside of his turned out cloak had stuck to my clothing like static. "Let me go." I firmly order. They don't budge, only cling tighter.

"It's called for you ever since the clouds were sewn to it," he mumbles. I glare.

"No duh! You don't just sew a new type of cloth onto velvet! It's very pretentious about what goes with it, and velour isn't one of the things you use with it! It's honored to work alongside silk, and cotton thread is just fine because of how plain, but velour tries to take away its attention," I try to tug away. "LET ME GO! MY BROTHER NEEDS ME!"

The threads groan silently, as if crying actually, and slink away. I couldn't care for that right now, I was needed by someone. I start running again. Sasori had thankfully stopped following me, so I could traverse in peace, well as much peace as possible when the only thing on my mind was my brother.

"WHERE IS HE?!" I scream wildly, barging into the large white complex known as the Konoha Hospital.

"Aya-sama?! Why are you back so soon?" Hiro questions with an eyebrow rose. "Who is 'he'?"

"Kyo," I grit my teeth. "Where is my brother's room?!"

"Third floor, 302," he blinks, my body gone as the words passes his lips. "Well someone's in a hurry."

I burst open the door, seeing my brother's body on the bed. My eyes harden, watering painfully. His skin was ghostly white, lips purple and blue. His eyes were open, staring straight up, and the beautiful blue color pale and glassy. The heart monitor attached to him wasn't beeping, a flat line and a loud buzz rung from it.

My throat tightens, choking back my tears. I scream in rage, zooming back to the bottom floor and grabbing the receptionist by the collar, glaring at her as the tears spill down my face.

"TELL ME WHERE THAT IWAGAKURE MEDIC WENT, NOW!" I demand, shrieking loudly in her face, teeth showing and a vernal growl in the back of my throat.

"H-he l-left a-an hour ago," she gulps, shaking visibly, "towards S-Sunagakure."

"Oh did he?" I hiss. "My brother isn't to be touched by anyone beside Kakashi. NO ONE ELSE! NOR IS HE TO BE MOVED! UNDERSTAND?!"

"Y-yes, b-but I d-don't u-understand-"

I throw her to the ground, my anger fueling the incredible speeds I was traveling. I was in a blind rage, and though I knew that wasn't good, it couldn't be helped. Kyo would not elude me, he would be brought down. My fealty to my brother was to strong.

I barrage past the Konoha gates once again, knocking Izumo down in my stead. He coughs at the dust cloud, shakily standing up to see my enraged face. He grabs my arm, trying to stop me, but is only thrown back, my knuckles punching hard into a tree. Nothing happens, that is until I was far away. The tree cracks into a million little splinters, raining down on Izumo moments before he leaps away.

Meanwhile, I was already well on my way towards Suna, body compliant to any wish I made of it. The thread of both my clothing and what was in my pouch was shaking with anger and excitement, weeping silently at the mourned loss of a great shinobi of the Ito.

I see a head of ebony hair amongst the trees, a white coat on his person. The man was laughing to himself, whispering where only he could hear, shrugging the jacket off and ditching it aimlessly. His hair bleeds slowly into a vibrant orange, his skin tanning as his ears turn into sharp points.

"BASTARD" I kick him hard in the back, making him fly across the clearing. "YOU'RE GOING TO DIE FOR KILLING MY BROTHER!"

"Aya-sama," his eyes widen a smirk now on his face, "I didn't figure you would be back so suddenly. You must be a fast runner."

"It's not of importance, you prick!" I snap. "YOU MURDERED HIM!"

"It was a magnificent gambit, wasn't it," he looked deranged, his eyes now turning to what I would guess is their original color, deep stone black. "The pieces were set about perfectly, and I admit, I did feel intimidated when such beautiful, well-known medics such as you were in this hospital and this village of all places. You fell for it like every other one of my pawns."

"What did you possibly gain from this?!" I howl in pain and rage.

He laughs loudly, menacingly. "You were blight in my plan though, sending to Iwa, though I should have picked a better place since they knew of me there, was a good trick, so I sent you away. I wanted his identity, and now I own it," he slowly morphs into my brother.

I chortle, throat closing again. Just seeing him there, it made me sick, and yet so vulnerable and sad at the same time. My brother was dead, dead by this denizen of Iwagakure.

"You... you..." my fists tighten, blood leaking onto my hand from the piercing nails.

"Afraid to fight someone who you value so closely, dearest little Aya?" his eyes flash wickedly, my body pin-pointed with senbon, a familiar flash of neon green on the ends of them. "Though I don't see how you survived that injection I delivered upon you. Your reputation is nothing compared to your true self, but that shall be yet another thing that belongs to me once you're dead as well."

"Fat chance," I let the tears fall down my cheeks, dodging the senbon. "Ryuu..."

_Not him. It's not him._ The threads whisper to me silently, tickling my skin. _Let us help you. Let us help you Mistress, let us help you. Fight, fight for him. Fight for Master. _

_'I will,'_ I answer mentally, pulling spools of every color out and throwing them high in the air. _'And I'll avenge him. We'll avenge him.' _

I perform the necessary hand signs, the thread overhead spinning into a large oak. The spools fall to the ground, the threads connecting the loose ends to each of my ten fingers.

"What now, a puppet show?" he cackles again. "You cannot move such an elder as the great oak."

I smirk. "Let's play then, if that's how you believe. You've enticed me into playing this little game, and I won't lose!"

The tree's roots pull themselves out of the ground, silver glowing on the strings to indicate my chakra. The massive behemoth shakes its trunk, ridding itself of all dead and useless leaves, a face seemingly to contort into the bark.

He stares in awe. "Oh how exhilarating."

The tree beats down upon him, the strings detaching so it falls upon his form. The great giant shivers, now motionless. I growl, knowing it wasn't the end. The man stands back again, his body scratched, battered, and bruised. He assaults me with more senbon, actually nailing me with a few. This battle, would take a long time I could already predict.

"Oh god," I whisper, struggling to stay on my feet. Four hours had passed during this fight. I had been spliced with so many poisons it was inhuman for me to stand, to move. If it wasn't for the threads eagerly trying to rid my body of all these bacteria, I'd be dead and gone already. Hell that was already almost the case.

Of course, Kyo wasn't any better off. He'd been pierced by his own toxins thanks to a few swishes of his own senbon by my lovely flax strands. I fling my arms forward, knowing this was my last attempt. I had to hit him dead bull's eye, or I'd die without my vengeance.

He lunges forward, dodging the majority of my attack. Luckily enough for me, he hadn't known the fact my threads don't only know how to go straight. They round back on him, shooting with deadly precision. He was right over my hunched form, in a crouched position. Blood sputters across my face as he coughs, looking down. I follow his gaze, strings of purple tickling against my stomach. The cloth of my dress had unraveled now pierced straight through what could precisely be located as his left lower lung.

"You... bitch."

"Die," I venomously spit across his face, letting some of the acidic poisons splurge into his eye. He screams in sheer turmoil and pain, clutching his eyes as he falls over, his oculars boiling over.

I push him over, the threads of my dress raveling back together tightly. I smile morbidly, ordering the threads attached to my fingertips to cocoon him. They do so, ripping him piece by piece into tiny shreds, ones not even skilled ninja could decipher information off of. I strike a stone against another stone, lighting the body of the man with the help of the flax, willing to let itself die to rid the earth of hit plague, one who had made the sour mistake of crossing Ito no Aya.

_'I... feel so... dizzy.'_

My body sways, the effect of the poisons finally subduing my limbs. I stagger, getting to my feet and moving from the freshly simmering ashes of the rancid smelling corpse.

I fall on my face, nose suffocating into the dirt. I was about to die, and I knew it.

I at least avenged him, my brother.

"I'll always love you," I whisper to the winds, voice cracking and fading. "Always..."


	7. Akatsuki: The End

"I can't stand you're existence," I scowl extremely unhappily, glaring at the boy in front of me

_Recap: 'I... feel so... dizzy.'_

_My body sways, the effect of the poisons finally subduing my limbs. I stagger, getting to my feet and moving from the freshly simmering ashes of the rancid smelling corpse._

_I fall on my face, nose suffocating into the dirt. I was about to die, and I knew it._

_I at least avenged him, my brother._

_"I'll always love you," I whisper to the winds, voice cracking and fading. "Always..."_

"Ugh, am I dead?" my eyes flutter open, the pupils optical peering around the fuzzy room. "Where am I? This isn't my next life, is it?"

"You're finally awake," a voice snorts. I look over and squeal. A FISH was talking to me!

"What the heck are you man?!" I fall over the edge of whatever bed I was on, bashing my head on the floor. I scream in pain, my body sore and my every muscle on fire with pain. "Oh god, Ow"

"Foolish girl," he lumbers over, bending down and yanking me back on the bed. "I'm a shark if you must know, and my name is Kisame."

"Err, hi Kisame?" I laugh nervously. "Eh heh, heh, name's Aya Where am I? Seriously"

He smirks. "Welcome to Akatsuki, Aya."

My mouth gapes. "As in the evil organization that is... well... evil?!"

"What other Akatsuki is there?" he rolls his eyes. "Sasori and Deidara brought you here."

"Okay, now I'm definitely missing something here," I twitch. "Sasori and I have been at each others throats since we were kids."

"You knew Sasori as a kid? That means you're about twenty..." he trails off, questioning me.

"Twenty-seven," I tell him plainly. He laughs.

"Only a few years from me," he shakes his head. "Get up; we're going to go get you something to eat from the kitchen."

"Uh, I might need some help," I grin shakily, not liking the fact that neither was I dead, but I was in the evil organization known as Akatsuki.

He sighs. "Alright come on." Kisame grabs my arm, pulling me up. I put an arm on his lower arm, holding myself up. He pulls me out of the room and into another, this one tiled. A man sat there praying over a set of beads. "Hidan, Aya. Aya, Hidan."

"Hi," I quietly answer, coughing slightly as his tough gaze settles on me.

"Is she a new member?" he looks at the shark. "She doesn't seem strong enough to be here."

"This is Ito no Aya," he informs. Hidan nods. "She's obviously staying here for the time being."

"I've heard of you. Of Sunagakure and recently living in Konohagakure, the medic of threads, pretty popular, I've heard you're good at healing," he goes back to his praying.

"Uh, thanks?" I take the apple Kisame gives me, eyeing is suspiciously. I rub it over my dress, letting the threads feel it. They whisper to me, saying it wasn't poisoned, before I bite into it.

"Let's go girly; I'm sure the blonde psycho will be a bit happier to see you up. He even tried to flirt with you when you were unconscious."

"Eck," I stop, "how about I go back to bed and say I did?"

He laughs smugly. "I think that'd be a better idea."

I sigh happily. "Oh thank god. Can you help me back into the-"

"Aya!" Deidara bounces into the room. "You're finally up yeah!"

"No, I'm just an astral projection of myself. I'm really still in the room sleeping," I tell him flatly. He blinks, turning to go look in the room. "Is he an idiot?"

"No, he has a bit of ADD, and he's just slow sometimes," Kisame grabs my elbow, yanking me into the living room. "She's up."

Every member in the room turns to look at me. I try not to bite my lip in half, noticing two familiar faces. One was Sasori, as always, and the other was Sasuke's older brother, Uchiha Itachi, his eyes boring into mine. He knew who I was as well.

There were also some faces I'd never seen before. One was a guy with a large flytrap over his head and there was one that had odd eyes.

"Itachi," I glare. He glares back, turning away with a blank face.

"There's one more member of our team, but she's away on a mission," Kisame explains, helping me onto a chair next to Sasori.

There was an awkward silence in the room now. I didn't know if I'm the only one that felt it, but I knew I didn't like it. It was eerie, and in such a place it really didn't help. The setting was perfect for death. Quietly, I fumble with the clothing I had on, knowing if I needed to I could be out of here in second, using a web of threads as my backup.

_Don't leave._ They whisper roughly, ordering me. I sigh, knowing that if I did they'd hold a grudge against me forever. I didn't need that.

"You're not an astral projection yeah," Deidara comes back in, poking my arm. I roll my eyes at his stupidity, astounded that someone as brain dead as this blonde could be in Akatsuki.

_'Of course, not many boys this guys age can mangle someone's face like he did to Yomi with only one little attack,' _I shudder, remembering the fragments embedded in his eyes.

"How long are you staying here yeah?" Deidara sits in front of me, on the floor staring up at my face.

I shrug. "No idea. Hopefully not long"

Itachi lets his creepy gaze rest on me. "Is our hospitality not suitable for you, Aya-sama?"

I scowl deeply. "It's the fact I'm-"

Something makes my mouth shut before I can slit my own throat. I look over, seeing that Sasori had attached his putrid chakra strings to me, unbeknownst to the other members. They stare at me a long moment before turning away, back to their own business. Deidara shrugs, turning to watch television a bit. When Sasori releases me, I turn back and issue my words in a harsh whisper.

"What was that about?"

"It's wise to watch your words when you're only a visitor here," his eyes linger on mine, not releasing my orbs from his hold.

"And you saving me doesn't add up either," I continue to be quiet, just as he was.

He gives that ghostly smile before turning back to the others, paying mind to whatever was in his evil little red head.

How long would I really have to stay here at Akatsuki? Hopefully, like I said, not long.

"Deidara, settle down," I sigh unhappily, the blonde now being a complete hyperactive moron like always. It had been a whole month here at Akatsuki.

"I'm sorry Aya, yeah," he smiles, plopping down before giving off an evil smirk, "you're just so cute when you're mad."

"And you're oh-so adorable when you shut up," I snap back, evilly glaring. He grins even wider, still a wicked one, which even I had to admit, was hot.

"I am yeah?" he yawns suddenly, putting his head down.

Kisame walks in. "Aya, Sasori's looking for you I think."

"What does he want now?" I yawn too. "Deidara, you gave me the yawning disease now."

"Sorry," he lets out another loud one, "Aya, yeah."

"No problem," I get up, "but I better go look for him before he gets upset. I hate when he uses those strings on me."

"Agreed," says Kisame while sitting at the kitchen table in my old seat.

Quietly, I walk through the halls of the Akatsuki hideout, buried deep in the pit of some cave. I don't know why I haven't been banished yet, or killed, but whatever the leader says goes here. I think Deidara must have put some good words in about me.

I know on the puppet's door, tapping my foot. The door opens and Sasori glides out, taking my wrist in his hand, dragging me mercilessly behind him. I try and pull away. "Sasori, where are we going?"

He doesn't answer, but slings a black cloak over my head, like the Akatsuki cloak's, but without the clouds. I wasn't an actual member, so that meant I wasn't to wear the cloak they did, just the same color. I wasn't that evil anyways, though they were growing on me, the people here.

He rushes through the trees, the night swirling around us like a veil, stars lighting up the skies like luminescent guides.

"Where are we going, Puppet Boy?"

He looks back at me, that plain look as always in his droopy eyes. "Aya, stop calling me that, it's Sasori, be respectable enough to call me that. I don't call you something ridiculous like 'Thread Girl'"

I blush slightly, looking down. "No, you don't. Sorry," I mumble the last line incoherently, hoping he didn't hear, yet knowing full well that he probably did. He nods, lightening the grip on my wrist and continuing his fast pace. We arrive near Konoha in no time, running quickly against the outskirts so no one knows. My lips start to dry up, cracking as I think about the memories here.

"Why did you bring me here of all places" I hiss sadly, eyes narrowing as I glare at the red heads back.

He slows down, letting my wrist go. I yank my arm away, walking a few steps behind me but still allowing myself to follow.

I finally see where he was taking me. We slip past the tall wall, darting down a path with elegant grace. He turns to look at me, motioning that I should walk first. I head through the break in the trees, a smile coming to my somber face.

It was a cemetery, the one where my brother was buried. I had missed his funeral because I was stuck in a place with criminals against my will. Just seeing the grave made my heart swell though, the tombstone was huge, beautiful, and there were fresh flowers on the mound of dirt, still slightly adjacent from the ground.

I crouch down to his grave, running a hand across it. Something brushes my shoulder, and I gently take the flower from Sasori, setting it down after laying a sweet kiss on it. Sasori, who was standing right next to my crouched form, drops a lone flower onto the grave as well.

"Brother," I whisper softly, hand grazing over the name etched into the stone.

_Shimoto Ryuu _

_Master of Threads, Ito no Ryuu _

_Loving Brother, Caring Friend _

_We'll always miss you; no matter you will forever watch over us. Your sister and friends will love and miss you, forever and for always._

"How sweet," I let a tear fall down my face, shaking my head. "Ryuu, I miss you so much Brother."

It takes a minute, the tears cascading down my face, but I regain my composure. Slowly standing, I stare at the stone, smiling sadly one last time.

"He wouldn't want you of all people to cry," he drawls out.

My bottom lip trembles, nodding. "I know, but... I just miss him. He was my best friend and my most precious person." The moments pass, filled with depressing silence. I take a deep, shuddering intake, hoping my voice was steady enough to speak. "Sasori, why did you bring me here?"

He eyes me. The red head points behind me. I turn, looking, yet seeing nothing but the darkness, the only light being the pale moonbeams streaming all across the cemetery. I turn back.

"I don't see any-"

Something hits my lips quickly, locking me in place. I gasp, trying to jump back but an arm stopped me. I peer, wide-eyed, into the eyes of Akasuna no Sasori, his lips planted on mine, not feeling of wood or some kind of puppet material like I thought since we all know, he's a living doll.

Memories of our childhood pass by, all negative, yet a resemblance was easy to distinguish. We were always near each other, more than Ryuu and he was, almost more than even Ryuu and me. I started most of the fights, but it was just to receive attention, though I'd never utter it aloud, and even though I'd never realized until this meager show of affection.

Timidly, I kiss back.

As soon as I do, Sasori deepens, and then draws back. We stare at one another a moment, his arms wrapped around my waist softly.

"Happy birthday, Aya," he smiles that ghostly one before it slowly fades away, though it was noticeable for more than a few seconds.

"Thank you Sasori-kun," I smile back, forehead against his.

He was the cotton, and I was the silk. As weird as this may sound, and as oblivious as I always was to this statement, how unlikely it was that I'd never speak these words were amazing...

'_As a child, I believed that I hated you. What a strong word. I guess I love you, Akasuna no Sasori. I love you...'_


End file.
